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Injuries may have played their part in his thinking, but England manager Gareth Southgate has underlined his commitment to the young talent at his disposal by calling up Chelsea's 18-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi to his squad to face the Czech Republic and Montenegro.

Hudson-Odoi, yet to make his first Premier League start under Maurizio Sarri, joins fellow former England under-17 World Cup winner Jadon Sancho in the senior squad. But what progress have the starting XI who beat Spain 5-2 in Kolkata two years ago made since then?

Curtis Anderson - Charlotte Independence

After sitting firmly down the pecking order at Manchester City - behind first choice Ederson, back-up Aro Muric and 21-year-old Daniel Grimshaw - Anderson has taken a bold step in search of making his senior breakthrough.

This week, the 18-year-old has left the Etihad to join Charlotte Independence in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American system.

"I quickly decided that this was too good an opportunity to miss out on,’ Anderson said. "Especially the chance playing in senior football for the first time in my young career...this is a move that could possibly help me develop my career more quickly than I could in England."

Steven Sessegnon - Fulham

Ryan Sessegnon's twin brother is still waiting to make his league debut for Fulham, 18 months after his EFL Cup appearance against Wycombe. After making another couple of cup appearances this season, Sessegnon signed a new three-and-a-half-year deal at Craven Cottage.

Steven Sessegnon has featured in the League Cup twice for Fulham this seasonCredit:
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"This can only motivate me to keep working harder. Hopefully I can make my league debut very soon, but over time I need to keep working hard and knuckling down and see what happens.

Marc Guehi - Chelsea

A defensive lynchpin of the victorious England side in India two years ago - and scorer of the fourth goal in the final against Spain - Guehi signed his first professional deal with Chelsea shortly after the tournament.

With several appearances under his belt in the EFL Trophy to date, the Ivory Coast-born defender has adapted well to the step up from U18s level to U23s football, but remains some way from breaking into the first-team picture at Stamford Bridge.

Joel Latibeaudiere - Manchester City

Yet to make his first-team debut, the defender considered leaving City this summer fearing a lack of opportunities.

With a contract-wrangle behind him and a new deal agreed until 2020, Latibeaudiere's chances have again been limited to five appearances, and the 18-year-old is continuing his recovery from a knee injury.

Jonathan Panzo - Monaco

Followed the Jadon Sancho model by heading overseas in search of first-team opportunities - even though he won five trophies in his final season at Chelsea, including the club's fifth successive FA Youth Cup trophy. Panzo made his Monaco debut in the Coupe de la Ligue in December, but is yet to feature in the league.

With no buyback option available to Chelsea - such clauses are against French FA regulations - Chelsea will hope it's not a case of 'the one who got away' in a few seasons' time.

George McEachran - Chelsea

The younger brother of Josh will be out of contract at Stamford Bridge in the summer. The left-footed midfielder, who has been at Chelsea since the age of eight, has been a regular for the U23s and scored in the 4-1 win at City in October.

With a handful of other appearances in the EFL Trophy and Uefa Youth League, McEachran is getting match time outside the first-team.

Tashan Oakley-Booth - Tottenham

Another midfielder gaining experience from playing in the U23s competition, where he has shown his versatility playing in a number of positions.

The 18-year-old is a mature figure in the heart of Spurs' second-string side and was linked with a loan switch to Leeds last summer.

Marc Guehi of Chelsea battles for the ball with Tashan Oakley-BootheCredit:
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Phil Foden - Manchester City

With City fans desperate for Foden to be handed more first-team action, Pep Guardiola has opted for a hand-round-the shoulder approach to the youngster's development.

Yes, the talented midfielder has warmed the bench for most of this season, but he's also been given a taste of the action with 15 Premier League appearances from that warm comfy seat. He has also pitched in with six goals in all competitions.

Foden's poise and maturity in City's easy Community Shield win over Chelsea showed why he has been described as Stockport's own Andres Iniesta. Borussia Dortmund and PSG have been monitoring his progress and Foden will be well aware of how Sancho's career has taken flight abroad.

Foden has made 15 appearances off the bench in the league for City this seasonCredit:
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Morgan Gibbs-White - Wolves

One of the many success stories of Wolves' hugely impressive return to the top flight, 19-year-old Gibbs-White has been part of the first team scene at Molineux for over two years, and has taken to the Premier League with ease. His first top-flight start came against Chelsea, in which he set up the hosts' first goal as they came back to win 2-1.

Gibbs-White has impressed in the Premier league with WolvesCredit:
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With his first-team prospects only likely to improve under Nuno Espirito Santo, Gibbs-White appears to be bucking the trend of young, talented English midfielders who are struggling to gain early experience in the Premier League.

Callum Hudson-Odoi - Chelsea

The 18-year-old marked his first competitive debut for Chelsea with a goal and assist in their Europa League thrashing of PAOK Salonika back in November. It had teammate Willian gushing: “He has the potential. He has talent, he has everything to become in the future one of the best players."

Since then, Hudson-Odoi's young career has been defined more by its potential future than its present. As he mulls over whether to sign a new five-year deal at the Bridge or seek first-team action elsewhere, the Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund are reportedly set to rival Bayern Munich in a bidding war for the teenager's services.

Rhian Brewster - Liverpool

The Golden Boot winner at the U17s World Cup, Brewster's ambitions for a breakthrough season in the Premier League in 2017/18 were derailed by a serious ankle injury and subsequent knee surgery, but he did sign a new long-term deal at Anfield.

Brewster turns 19 at the start of April, but there will be little rush for Jurgen Klopp to give him first-team football this season. A loan spell in the Championship in 2019/20 looks the most likely option.